


Pretty Girl Rock

by Reebeewrites



Series: Rock Stars [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, Curling, Curling AU, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-14 23:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11218365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reebeewrites/pseuds/Reebeewrites
Summary: The curling team has been together for a while, and Allura suggests they join their first tournament. Almost everyone is excited.Almosteveryone.





	Pretty Girl Rock

**Author's Note:**

> A few impostant notes:
> 
> If you know nothing about curling, a quick skim through the [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling/) or [Curling for Dummies](http://www.dummies.com/sports/curling-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/) is probably worth a read.
> 
> Pidge is in ninth grade at a private school, everyone else goes to the public highschool, Allura and Shiro are grade 12, and the other three are in eleventh grade.
> 
> Coran is the coach and also the history teacher at the highschool. 
> 
> I suppose this probably takes place in Canada?
> 
> I am by no means an expert at curling, please correct me if something is wrong.
> 
> This is part of a huge AU, this is just some background and a bit of Pidge's story.
> 
> (Why did I think a curling au was a good idea? Who _curls?_ )

 

“Allura, do you have the time on that?” Pidge yelled over his shoulder at the assistant coach.

“That was 16 seconds, the ice is keen boys.” She yelled down at her team. Shiro stood up from his crouched position where he watched the stones.

“Thank you, Allura.” He said to her before turning his attention to his teammates. “Also Pidge,” he started, as the youngest turned their head to listen. “You’re curling too far to the left again, keep an eye out for that, okay?”

Pidge nodded in understanding and went to pick up his broom. Lance stepped up to the hack, awaiting further instructions. He rubbed the blue stone with the cuff of his jacket as he waited.

“Okay Lance, set up another guard over here please.” Said Shiro, indicating with his broom.

As Lance prepared his throw, Keith and Pidge were at the ready with their brooms. Setting up a guard shouldn’t be too hard, but they weren’t Lance’s speciality. Allura was always trying to get him to practice them in case they ever needed him to throw a guard or play lead should something happen to Pidge. Meanwhile, Hunk was at the backline watching carefully with Shiro, both anticipating his throw. Lance pushed off the hack with a lot of weight and began to glide. He let go right before the hog line and curled the rock as it left his palm. It was a frenzy as Shiro yelled instructions to Keith and Pidge. It was clear that Lance had thrown too much weight, so the boys were attempting to salvage the stone and bring it to the house.

Lance cursed under his breath as the rock didn’t make it to the house, but was yet too far to effectively serve as a guard. Shiro rubbed at his temples while Keith began to slide back down the ice.

As he met Lance halfway, a quiet yet harsh, “Great job, hot-shot” could be heard. Lance grit his teeth but forced himself not to say anything.

“Lance, remember the ice is quite keen, it didn’t need nearly that much weight.” Allura said. She didn’t say it with any malice, but Lance still felt like he was disappointing her. Despite the fact that she wasn’t even the official coach, it still hurt more coming from her than the Coach.

“Sorry Allura, my bad!” Was all that Lance could say. With a hand rubbing his neck, he waited next to Pidge.

Their practise time was almost done, and soon the local curling teams would come storming in. They were thankful they had the club to themselves three times a week. After school, they would meet up with Pidge, and then they would all walk down to the curling club together. On the rare occasion that the coach actually came to practice, he would offer to drive them and they would all graciously hop into his minivan. Coach was often busy with work and his own kids, so Allura ended up doing most of the coaching. In the beginning, Keith was convinced she only there to fill out her already impressive resume, but she was actually very interested in the sport and was a joy to have around. Allura and Shiro were both going to graduate this year, and were starting to feel the pressure. Neither of them had anything to fear though, they were both brilliant individuals who would have no trouble getting in anywhere they wanted.

Keith took a deep breath as he stepped into the hack. He tried to be conscious of his whole body and how it touched the ice, the rock, the hack. He nodded at Shiro and threw the rock down the ice. It curved beautifully around Pidge’s guard and slid right past Lance’s stone. It came to a stop just short of the button. He smiled proudly at his shot.

“Good job, Keith!” said Shiro while clapping. “Gorgeous shot! Good job Pidge and Lance as well on the sweeping, you guys really brought that one in!” As Shiro slid down the ice gave his teammates high fives.

They played a few more stones before packing up. Everyone was pleased with how far their little team had come. Keith remembered how for the longest time they were a team of three, just him Shiro and Lance. Allura scoured for teammates before Shiro eventually brought in his friend Pidge. Pidge fell into place quite quickly and was the lead their team desperately needed. Not long after, Pidge invited Hunk and soon they were a full team with an alternate.

“Hey Allura,” Lance asked, “when are we gonna get team jackets?” The group of them were carrying their things outside.

“Well you know we are quite tight on funding, the school refuses to aid us unless we win a tournament.” She said. They sighed because they knew it was true. Despite how good their team was, it didn’t mean much to the school if they couldn’t win. “Plus,” she added, “wouldn’t you need a team name first?” That was true.

“We don’t need a name.” Keith said. “You always name your team after the skip. We’re team Shirogane.”

“Actually,” Pidge piped up, “In our division, you’re allowed to name your team. Now, most teams are named after their schools, but a few in the league just use the skip’s name.” He turned to Shiro. “What do you think?”

“Well, I think it’s not my decision.” He said. “Why don’t you ask Coach?” his hand gestured forward as they realised Coran was there.

“Hey, Coach!” Hunk said enthusiastically. “What are you doing here, man?”

“I was done early and I thought you might want a ride. Hop in, and tell me how it went.” He said as he opened the trunk and they piled in their gear. They all hopped into the vehicle as Allura and Shiro gave him the rundown of practice.

 

“You know,” said Allura, “There's a tournament coming up next month, and I think these guys might be good enough to play!” Allura was very excited to see them get to play again. They had been a team for a while now, and although they have played a few games here and there this would be their first tournament together.

“Really, you think we’re ready?” Hunk asked. “-I mean I’m not saying we aren’t, but I’m not saying we are, I’m just saying- really?” He stopped as he realised he was rambling.

“Sure!” She said. “It’s just local, nothing too big. Youth division, and most teams seem to be from the high schools anyway, with a few club teams as well.”

“Well, if you boys want to, I see no reason why not.” Coran explained.

“Hell yeah, let’s rock!” Came from Lance as he gave Hunk a fist bump. Keith just nodded in approval.

“Hey Allura,” Pidge began, “What’s the tournament called?”

“It’s the Barrie Club’s men’s juniors.” She said. “The club is in Hudson, so it’s not too far.”

“I feel a road trip coming along!” Exclaimed Coran. They all laughed and chatted the whole ride about the tournament and how exciting it would be. All of them except Pidge that is.

Pidge could feel a knot forming in his stomach. He felt uneasy. Shiro noticed how unusually quiet the ninth grader was, but kept quiet.

 

Pidge and Shiro were the last to be dropped off as they lived on the same street. That’s how Shiro had known about Pidge’s curling ability. That, and years of going to the same club.

“Hey Pidge,” he said gently placing a hand on their shoulder, “you mind coming over for a moment, I’d like to talk.” He smiled a genuine smile. Pidge agreed and followed the much taller boy home.

Pidge sat at the kitchen table as Shiro brought their tea over. This was not their first time hanging out like this.

“Hey Pidge, are you okay?” Shiro asked. Pidge looked up from the tea to meet his eyes. “You didn’t seem very excited about the tournament, you didn’t seem like yourself.” Shiro sipped at his tea as he awaited a response. Pidge’s eyes fluttered back down to the tea in front of them.

“Well,” Pidge spoke softly, “it’s just, Allura said it was a _men’s_ tournament so…” Pidge gently stirred the tea.

“Oh, I see.” Shiro said. “Are you nervous?” He spoke gently and made the young Pidge feel at ease.

“I, mean, I know I could do it, it’s worked with everyone else, I just-“ Pidge let out a sigh. “I just feel bad, I guess. Lying, you know?”

“I brought you onto this team because I know you deserved this spot. You're one hell of a lead Pidge. But if you don’t feel comfortable pretending to be a boy anymore we can stop-” But Pidge cut him off.

“No no, I’ll be fine but…I think I want to tell the rest of the team now.” She said. “–Uh not Coran though!” she added on.

“That’s fair, and also up to you, you do whatever feels right, Pidge. Know that I support you one hundred percent.” He smiled.They sat together chatting about shared neighbours and interests as they finished their tea.

"Thanks," she said, "that means a lot to me." They sat together chatting about shared neighbours and interests as they finished their tea.

 

Shiro had been curling with Pidge since they were kids. They even played on a mixed team once during a fundraiser tournament. He had seen her play on several different teams, hopping from club to club to try and find a ladies team in need of another player. She was sick of always playing an alternate, but there were very few ladies teams to start with and they were all already full. Mixed teams were never very popular in the competitive scene, so that also wasn’t an option. Meanwhile, Shiro was in the midst of creating a team with Coran and Allura but they didn’t have enough players. It was Shiro’s idea. Pidge already had short hair, she really didn’t have to make any drastic changes, just some slight modifications to her wardrobe. She started training at the club with Shiro more often as they concocted their plan. Hunk began to question his friends change of look, and she realised she would have to tell him what was going on. Hunk was, of course, extremely supportive and gave her pointers. She greatly appreciated the support as she began to doubt Shiro’s crazy idea. Although she didn’t go to the same school as the boys, Shiro presented her, as ‘him’ to Coran as a potential fourth member for their team. There wasn’t much of a tryout, they were desperate, and there was nothing saying they couldn’t have a non-school member on the team. And so they graciously accepted Pidge into their group. She fit in perfectly and felt like she belonged. This was one of the happiest periods of her life, and she was thankful for Shiro’s quick thinking.

 

But to play as a boy in a tournament? The thought made her nervous. She knew she looked the part, she just always had a nagging feeling. She didn’t like lying. That’s why she had to tell Keith and Lance. She hesitated at the thought of telling Allura, but ultimately decided she could trust the older teen. Besides, she had Shiro and Hunk on her side. But she couldn't risk telling Coran. As a coach and teacher, it would be his responsibility to remove her from the team should he find out. She doubted he would care, but she couldn’t stomach the thought of him potentially getting in trouble for not kicking her off the men’s team.  

 

She spoke more about it with Shiro, and after going home, she messaged Hunk about the situation. She was going to tell them at the next practice, so long as Coran wasn’t there. She felt better already and couldn’t wait to see them again. She looked forward to the upcoming tournament.

 

As they packed up their belongings to head home after practice, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro stood together chatting. The other three didn’t really notice, as Lance and Keith were busy bickerings and Allura was going over the notes on her clipboard. Shiro gave Pidge a smile and a thumbs up before clearing his throat.

“Hey guys, can we have a quick team meeting before we head out? We had some things we wanted to discuss about the upcoming tournament.” He said. The three that had been farther away drew closer to the conversation and soon they had formed a circle.

“Actually,” he corrected himself, “Pidge has something to share.”

“You alright, little man?” Asked Lance, playfully rustling her hair.

“Well, actually, it is about that, kinda.” She said. “Specifically about the ‘little man’ portion” She said, hesitantly.

“Oh!” exclaimed Allura. “Are you tired of them teasing you? You know I’m sure you’ll hit your growth spurt-”

“-I’m a girl-”

“-soon.” There was a pause. “Pardon me?”

Pidge looked around at their faces. Keith showed no emotion but both Allura and Lance seemed… not surprised but perhaps taken aback.

“Look, I’m sorry-” She could feel herself begin to ramble but wanted to get her words out as quickly as possible. “But I couldn’t find a ladies team and when I joined you guys, Shiro said you needed a fourth player, and I'm a good lead, I, uh, I think, and it was his idea so I just followed along but yeah- that’s it, that’s uh, yeah I’m a girl.”

“You knew about this Shiro?” Allura asked. She didn’t sound upset just confused.

“She's one of the best leads I know, throws a rock like it's nobody’s business, we needed her. I don’t regret inviting her onto the team.” He said calmly.

“Wait, hold up,” started Lance, “Hunk, dude, did you know about this too?” Despite the fact that Hunk had known Pidge a lot longer than the others, when he joined their team, he quickly formed an unbreakable bond with Lance. The two just seemed to click.

“Yeah man, I’ve known Pidge forever, so when she said she was playing on a men's team and asked me to play along, I couldn’t say no.” He simply shrugged as though it was no big deal.

“I just wanted to tell you guys before the tournament, in case something comes up. Or if you want Hunk to take my place, that’s fair, I understand-”

“No way.” Keith said. “We need you Pidge. You're a part of this team, you’ll play with us.” She felt a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“The only thing is,” Shiro said, pulling the conversation towards him with his large presence. “We cannot tell Coach. Pidge doesn’t want Coran to know, understand?” Pidge nodded to express that the statement was true. The others nodded in understanding.

“So…” Lance said. “Is that, like, it?”

Pidge smiled as she said, “Yeah, I guess.”

“So… food anyone?” Lance asked.

“Heck yeah, let’s go!” Hunk replied.

They all laughed as the group of them headed out. They went out to their favourite local burger joint where Lance proceeded to ask Pidge an insane amount of ridiculous questions, most of which made her laugh. Allura began sharing details of the tournament with the others before she realised that they hadn’t picked a team name yet and she would need one to register them. They decided they would speak with Coran as soon as they could. For now, it didn’t matter.

**Author's Note:**

> Again I'm not a curling expert, if something is wrong, let me know. 
> 
> There is _a lot_ already worked out for this AU. Don’t worry, everyone will get the love they deserve. Also, the tournament should be coming soon. 
> 
> Also, I know I used both ‘he’ and ‘they’ for Pidge at the beginning and that was because when I only used one or the other it just felt very forced and unnaturally, so I switched between both pronouns.
> 
> (I have 90% of this planned out except I still don't have a team name for them yet. Please feel free to leave a suggestion, otherwise, they might decide to just name themselves after the skip, idk.)


End file.
